Customers since: November 2024
We had never set up a business website, and we appreciated the quick support we got early on when we hit snags — the support team were so helpful. We are happy to have CanSpace as part of our larger team.
Leah Bartlett and Abe Greenspoon, Owners, Seaside Beach Resort
Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are located.
Abe and I are owner/operators of the Seaside Beach Resort (https://www.seasidebeachresort.ca) in Saint Andrews by-the-sea, New Brunswick. We are in our second year of operations, having moved back to New Brunswick in 2025. Previously we were living in downtown Ottawa working in public service jobs. I worked in health planning for the province and Abe worked in immigration with the federal government.
Tell us about the Seaside Beach Resort. How did you come across the opportunity and what made you say Yes to it, eventually making the big move?
We have been coming to Saint Andrews every summer to visit my family. In August of 2024, Abe noticed that the Seaside Beach Resort was for sale, so we booked an appointment to tour the property. We had never been there before, as we always stay with family when we come to town. We had a quick tour of around half of the property on a rainy afternoon, and we were told by the agent that the business was under offer (i.e., no longer for sale).
A few weeks later back in Ottawa, the real estate agent called on a Friday afternoon to say Seaside Beach Resort was back on the market, and he asked if we were interested. We put in an offer on Monday morning, and it was accepted by Tuesday – so it all happened very quickly. At that time we were both unhappy in our job situations and we were actively looking for something different. This was different. Neither of us had worked in hospitality before, but we knew we worked well together as a team. We also had been talking about moving closer to my parents, to help them age-in-place. It seems the stars were aligned so we decided to go for it. We sold the house, packed up all our worldly possessions, and became NB residents by January.
St. Andrews looks like such a lovely spot. What do vacationers love the most about it?
The name Saint Andrews by-the-sea captures the allure — we think people love being by the ocean and seeing the tides of the Bay of Fundy. Seaside Beach Resort property is right on the water, so our guests can have a true oceanfront immersive experience: breathe the sea air, watch the boats sail by, and enjoy a sunset. We have many guests that come back year after year, when they need to unwind and relax by the water.
While in Saint Andrews, you can enjoy amazing restaurants like the Herring Pub and William&Water, you can pop by the Saint Andrews Brewery for a pint, or go out on a boat whale watching – there is so much to do a five-minute walk down the road from Seaside. Finally, Saint Andrews is such a beautiful spot, it lives up to the title of the ‘jewel of New Brunswick’. We still go out to our boardwalk and watch the sunset in the evenings.
How and why did you choose to specifically get into the hospitality business? What’s the best thing about it?
We were interested in running a business, and in this area, tourism is the major employer, so we thought we’d end up doing something linked to the tourist season.
We didn’t bring hospitality experience to the job, but we had a lot of ‘transferable skills’ from our previous careers (e.g., project management, budgets, facilitation) and we had experience with renovation projects. We also aren’t afraid to ask for help and advice, and we are grateful to the community who’ve supported our move here.
Best thing about it? We love living in such a beautiful spot, and we love how the business requires us to constantly learn. Running a business is so much more dynamic and engaging than a desk job. We love engaging with guests and it’s so nice to work outside with this ocean view everyday.
What does it take to be successful at what you do?
Teamwork is our secret sauce. Starting with building a deck together over a decade ago, we discovered that we are really good at working through projects together. We lived in old houses in Ottawa and we worked through a lot of renovations (e.g., we put together an IKEA kitchen without fighting), so we figured we could take on the many projects that Seaside would bring.
Running this business is like owning and maintaining 24 homes, while hosting up to 80 guests a night. It takes a lot of discussion and coordination between the two of us. We also love meeting new people — so operating vacation rentals provides a lot of joy and engagement with interesting folks from around the world.
How does CanSpace solve the objectives you have for your website?
Part of our business plan was to support Canadian businesses and local entrepreneurs, so that was a big part of our decision to go with CanSpace. Once we bought the business, one of the first things we did was secure the new domain seasidebeachresort.ca and start work on a new website. We had never set up a business website, and we appreciated the quick support we got early on when we hit snags — the support team were so helpful. Our website continues to be the key way guests find out about Seaside Beach Resort and book a stay with us, and we are happy to have CanSpace as part of our larger team.
